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Plan for White Stadium renovation progressing

Former Mayor Thomas Menino and Boston Scholar Athletes (BSA), a nonprofit founded by construction company magnate John Fish, announced last summer a $45 million renovation plan for White Stadium. The proposal would add a turf field for more durable use; two paved parking lots; two buildings containing offices, locker rooms and classrooms; and a soft plastic bubble that would cover the field in the winter for basketball games.

“We continue to work with City officials on our plans for White Stadium and we are in the process of incorporating input from our last community session,” BSA said in a statement to the Gazette. “We look forward to sharing the updates to our plan at the next public meeting.”

No date has been determined for that meeting.

The Franklin Park Coalition, which raises funds and programs the park, said in a recent mass email that the current plan would restrict new construction to the immediate stadium area.

“The Franklin Park Coalition is pleased about this potential investment in the park that will benefit young people, especially Boston Public School students, but we are cautious about the plans and don’t want to see a loss of parkland,” FPC Executive Director Christine Poff told the Gazette.

The Mayor’s Office did not respond to a request for comment.

White Stadium was built in 1945 in the northern end of the park along Walnut Avenue and Sigourney Street and has been underused for years. It can hold only one event per day due to its grass turf and is not accessible to community use.